Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviews theNorthern Ireland Officehas commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

lord duncan of springbank: The Northern Ireland Office has not commissioned any independent reviews into its policy or administration over the last year.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan: Sikhs

lord singh of wimbledon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suicide bombing resulting in the death of 19 Sikhs in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in July, what discussions they intend to have with Afghan authorities to safeguard the security and right to freedom of belief of the country’s remaining Sikh population.

lord singh of wimbledon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suicide bombing resulting in the death of 19 Sikhs in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in July, what representations they intend to make to the government of India to encourage it to offer asylum or safe passage to Sikhs wishing to leave Afghanistan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government condemned the 1 July attack on a group of Sikhs and Hindus in Jalalabad. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific publicly described it as “a despicable attack on Afghanistan’s historic Sikh and Hindu community”. As part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission, the UK supports the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces in its efforts to improve security for all communities in Afghanistan. NATO’s Resolute Support Mission is also assisting the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces with security planning for the upcoming elections. The UK regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of Afghanistan, including the need to protect the rights of all ethnic and religious groups in line with the constitution.

Poland: Judiciary

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make representations to the government of Poland following the decision by the EU Commission to initiate Article 7.1 against Polandon the grounds that the independence of Poland’s judiciaryhas been undermined.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK places great importance on respect for the rule of law, while making clear our position that constitutional arrangements are primarily a matter for national governments, within the framework of international norms. We discuss Rule of Law in private with Polish counterparts, most recently the former Foreign Secretary with the Polish Foreign Minister in June. The British Embassy in Warsaw also discuss the matter with Polish officials.

Bulgaria: Human Rights

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to make representations to the government of Bulgaria following the report by the US Department of State,Bulgaria 2017 Human Rights Report, which stated that there were high levels of corruption and a lack of judicial independence inthat country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The British Embassy in Sofia has long-standing engagement with the Bulgarian Government and other institutions on the issues raised in the report, both bilaterally and through the European Commission’s Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).

Johan Teterissa

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any recent discussions with the government of Indonesia regarding the imprisonment and treatment of Johan Teterissa.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Ministers and Embassy officials routinely raise human rights issues with the Indonesian Government. Most recently, the Minister for Asia and the Pacific, the Rt. Hon. Mark Field MP and I discussed the death penalty and rights of LGBT people with the Indonesian Ambassador to the UK. We have not to date raised the specific case of Johan Teterissa. While we will continue to press for further progress, it is worth noting that under the current administration the number of prisoners held on political grounds has decreased significantly.

Johan Teterissa

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent reports regarding the imprisonment and treatment of Johan Teterissa in Indonesia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Ministers and Embassy officials routinely raise human rights issues with the Indonesian Government. Most recently, the Minister for Asia and the Pacific, the Rt. Hon. Mark Field MP and I discussed the death penalty and rights of LGBT people with the Indonesian Ambassador to the UK. We have not to date raised the specific case of Johan Teterissa. While we will continue to press for further progress, it is worth noting that under the current administration the number of prisoners held on political grounds has decreased significantly.​

Russia: Subversion

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which Russia may be seeking to promote far-right parties in different European countries in order to promote the break up of the EU.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We know that Russia has a history of interfering in other countries, whether the botched coup in Montenegro, repeated cyber-attacks on other states or seeking to influence others' democratic processes. We also know the Kremlin persistently uses disinformation to destabilise states. Managing this is a long-term priority for the UK, and we will continue to work with international partners, primarily through the EU, G7 and NATO, to constrain the effects of Russian behaviour.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of Israel if Israel follows through with its plan to demolish Khan al-Ahmar; and whether they will take action to prevent further threats to villages in occupied Palestinian territory.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We welcome the news that on 5 July Israel's Supreme Court granted a conditional injunction that temporarily prohibits the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar. The UK and international partners will continue to call on Israel to: abandon demolition plans for Khan al-Ahmar, cease their policy of demolitions of communities throughout Area C, and instead provide a transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C. The Minister for the Middle East reiterated UK concerns about the proposed demolition of Khan al-Ahmar to the Israeli ambassador and called on the Israeli authorities to reconsider these plans.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Palestinian minors and their families following reports that the government of Israel is imposing fines as well as prison sentences on children under 16 years of age.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK continues to make representations to the Israeli authorities on the issue of children in detention. I raised this matter with Israeli Justice Minister Shaked during my visit to Israel on 11 April 2018. The Minister for the Middle East also responded to a Westminster Hall debate on the topic of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention on 7 February 2018. He reiterated that the issues around children in detention continue to be a human rights priority for the UK.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Palestinians living in occupied territory from having their crops and livelihoods attacked by Israeli settlers supported by Israeli military personnel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We condemn any violence by settlers against Palestinians. Settler violence must be tackled firmly. We welcome the efforts of Israeli authorities to tackle settler violence, and urge thorough investigation of every instance and to bring those responsible to justice. We have also stressed the importance of the Israel security forces' providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Gaza: Contraceptives

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the banning of condoms being imported into Gaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Whilst we have not made any representations about this specific issue, we continue to urge Israel to ease movement and access restrictions in Gaza, including through the Kerem Shalom goods crossing. We support Israel's right to prevent goods entering Gaza that could be used for violent purposes, but this should not prevent the entry of basic goods required for the health and wellbeing of the Gazan population.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the freezing and transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are concerned about the impact of legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset on 2 July that would see Israel withhold the equivalent of 7% of the Palestinian Authority's budget. Whilst the UK has reservations that the prisoner payment system is not sufficiently needs-based nor transparent, the Palestinian Authority's financial stability remains in the best interests for all concerned. The Minister for Middle East raised this issue with the Israeli Ambassador on 20 June.

Sanctions

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any online resources exist that give current and complete lists of goods, individuals or entities on sanctions lists worldwide.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The publication of lists of goods, individuals or entities on sanctions lists is the responsibility of those individual countries and multilateral institutions which impose and implement sanctions. I am not aware of the existence of a single global list. The UK currently imposes multilateral sanctions through the European Union, which publishes information on its website. The UK publishes details of UN and EU sanctions that it implements on the GOV.UK website.

Nigeria: Violence

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that communities in Plateau State, Nigeria, who have been victims of attacks by Fulani herder militia have been searched for weapons though the perpetrators of such attacks have not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are deeply concerned about the escalating inter-communal violence across Nigeria including in Plateau State. The situation is complex and access to information is limited. We do not have information about which groups have been searched for weapons. We welcome President Buhari's strong condemnation of these attacks and his commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice. We call for solutions that meet the needs of all affected communities and prevent further violence.

Nigeria: Violence

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent disclosureduring a plenary session of the Nigerian House of Representatives that 52 villages in four local government areas in Plateau State have been occupied by the herder militia responsible for the deaths of 238 residents of those villages.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are deeply concerned about the escalating violence in parts of the Central and Middle Belt regions of Nigeria, including in Plateau State. The situation is complex and access to information is limited. We are not able to verify whether villages in Plateau State have been occupied by herders. We welcome President Buhari's strong condemnation of the violence and his commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice. We call for solutions that meet the needs of all affected communities and prevent further violence.

Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to propose the establishment of an international day commemorating the victims and survivors of religious persecution to be held annually on 3 August.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government believes that the custom of commemorating the International Day of Religious Freedom on 27 October is becoming increasingly well established, and provides a suitable focus for marking this universal human right. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office actively encourages its diplomatic network to mark this day where local conditions allow. The Government therefore has no plans to support moves to establish an official United Nations Day on this theme.

Saudi Arabia: Females

lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised with the government of Saudi Arabia the question of the continued detention of women who campaigned against the ban on female drivers in Saudi Arabia; and if so, what response they received.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is very concerned about the arrests and detentions of the women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia. The Prime Minister, the former Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor have raised our concerns with the Saudi authorities. We continue to raise our concerns at all levels, most recently in July. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa also raised our concerns during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia on 16 July.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 July (HL8932), whether they had the same duty to maintain the confidence and confidentiality of their partners between 2013 and 2016 as now; and if so, why they released details about the implementers and beneficiaries of UK technical assistance in Bahrain in 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16 but can not release such details for 2017–18.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Decisions to release information related to any Government activity are taken according to the current context and on a case by case basis. The disclosure of information for the years mentioned was appropriate at the time.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about Israeli forces demolishing the homes of Palestinians as a form of punishment.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have serious concerns about the use of punitive demolitions by the Israeli authorities to destroy the homes belonging to suspected Palestinian terrorists or their families. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have registered concerns about this policy with Israeli authorities. Demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel's commitment to a viable two-state solution; and, in all but the most exceptional cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.

Palestinians: Water Supply

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to protect communities in the Jordan valley whose water supplies are destroyed or confiscated by Israeli forces.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We remain concerned about the quality and quantity of water available to residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It is essential that the Israelis and Palestinians discuss this issue and ensure that there is a just solution on shared water resources as part of any final status agreement. UK officials are in regular contact with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the UN, World Bank, EU and other development actors on this issue. The UK has raised concerns over access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza.

Gulf Strategy Unit

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 July (HL9045), what funding was allocated to each non-staffing line of the budget for the Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team for 2017–18.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The budget for the Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team is allocated to staffing in its entirety.

Gulf Strategy Unit

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the grades of thesixmembers of staff who make up the Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team for 2017–18.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team included one member of staff at SMS1 grade and five others at less senior grades.

Aviation: Taiwan

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take measures to protect British Airways and any other UK companies from being pressured into changing the designation of Taiwan to Taiwan, China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Her Majesty's Government's long-standing policy on Taiwan has not changed. The British government refers to Taiwan as simply "Taiwan" and, when included in a list of places, does so under an inclusive heading, such as "country/territory" or "world locations". When guidance has been sought from Her Majesty's Government on the terminology to use, we have been clear about the British Government's terminology for Taiwan.Private companies and organisations should be able to decide the terminology that they use to list destinations. UK companies should not be placed under political pressure to make changes. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials have registered our concern with the Chinese Government on this point.

Islamic State: Prosecutions

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 March (HL5931, HL5932andHL5933), what progress has been madein assessing the capacity of the Iraqi courts to prosecute Daesh in pursuance of UN Security Council Resolution 2379.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UN will soon deploy a Needs Assessment Mission to Iraq to assess capacity building needs and advise where Member States and the UN should target their support. We look forward to the UN reporting on their findings. The UK is also working directly with the Iraqi judiciary to build their capacity, as called upon by UN Security Council Resolution 2379. A Special Advisor, Karim Khan QC, has been appointed to lead the UN Investigative Team established by the Resolution. The Special Adviser will deploy with the Investigative Team to Iraq to gather evidence and support the work of the Iraqi judiciary.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Procurement

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what efforts they are making to ensure that their public procurement policies do not involve supply chains in which slave labour is used.

lord young of cookham: The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery in both private and public sector supply chains. Since 1 October 2015, commercial organisations which have an annual turnover of £36 million or more have been required, under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, to prepare a slavery and human trafficking statement for each financial year. The statement must set out the steps taken to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place within its own business or supply chains. The Government has published a Supplier Code of Conduct to make clear the standards and behaviours that are expected of our suppliers when they work with government and we will now develop proposals for the government’s biggest suppliers to publish data and provide action plans for how they plan to address key social issues, including the scourge of modern slavery. In addition, the Government’s Standard Selection Questionnaire includes Mandatory Exclusion Grounds if an organisation or an associated individual has been convicted of child labour and other forms of trafficking in human beings, within the last 5 years. The Home Office and the Crown Commercial Service will be developing further guidance to support contracting authorities to identify, and mitigate against, modern slavery risks in supply chains.

Department of Health and Social Care

Prisons: Mental Health Services

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide improved mental health care for prisoners following the estimates produced by the Centre for Mental Health, published in June, which suggest that there are 21,000 mentally ill people in prison but only 3,600 beds available for mental health patients.

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to carry out a review into the number of prisoners with mental health issues in the UK in order to establish ways in which those suffering from serious mental health problems can be diverted to mental health care outside prison before or on release.

lord o'shaughnessy: We recognise that there are high numbers of people in prison with mental ill health, and it is essential that they are treated in the most appropriate environment for their needs. Whilst some prisoners may be mentally unwell, and despite sometimes complex emotional and behavioural needs, it may not be clinically appropriate for them to be transferred to a mental health inpatient bed. There may be other services more appropriate to their needs that can be delivered outside inpatient mental health facilities. There are no plans for a review. However there is already work underway to ensure people are diverted to mental health care services outside prison either before or on their release, and to improve mental health services within prisons. Liaison and Diversion services operate at police stations and courts, to identify and assess people with vulnerabilities (substance misuse, mental health problems) and refer them into appropriate services and, where appropriate, away from the justice system altogether. Information from Liaison and Diversion assessments is used by the police and courts to inform sentencing decisions. These services cover 82% of the population with full roll out expected by 2020. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice have worked with NHS England and Public Health England to develop a Community Sentence Treatment Requirement ‘protocol’. The protocol aims to increase the use of community sentences with drug, alcohol and mental health treatment requirements as an alternative to custody to improve health outcomes and reduce reoffending. It sets out what is expected from all involved agencies to ensure improved access to mental health and substance misuse treatment for offenders who need it. Work is also underway to improve support for prisoners whilst they are in prison. NHS England is focussing on an offender mental health pathway which will ensure that offenders are directed to the most appropriate intervention to their needs at the right time in the criminal justice system. The programme of work includes ensuring timely and appropriate transfers to a mental health hospital, timely remission to prison as part of a planned episode of care, and to ensure that those requiring treatment for mental ill health have access to high quality care. New service specifications have been published for both low and medium secure hospitals as well as prison mental health services. The Prison Mental Health Specification embeds the Quality Standards for Prison Mental Health Services developed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to ensure high quality care for all. Draft guidance for timely and appropriate transfers and remissions of care to and from a mental health hospital is currently in production. Following release from prison, NHS England is working with partners to develop better pathways of care from custody. Drawing on learning from existing services we are investigating how best to ensure continuity of care post custody.

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust

baroness hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) patient safety in the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, and (2) the procedures to ensure that whistle-blowers are protected andthatany medical negligence is exposed.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised us that it conducted a comprehensive inspection of the Trust in March 2015, a focused inspection in September 2016, and these were followed by the CQC issuing requirement notices regarding breaches of regulations.The CQC carried out an unannounced inspection of eight core services and two additional services in April 2018 at University Hospital, Coventry, and three core services at Hospital St Cross, Rugby in May 2018, as well as further unannounced inspections in May 2018. The CQC is compiling its report findings with a view to publishing the inspection report in August or September 2018.The Government supports the right of staff working in the National Health Service to raise concerns and expects all NHS organisations to support staff that wish to do so. All NHS trusts and foundation trusts are required to have Freedom to Speak up Guardians to whom employees can raise concerns about patient safety in confidence.In May 2018, the Government introduced legislation to further protect prospective employees into the NHS from discrimination if the individual is perceived to have been a whistleblower. This legislation was a recommendation from Sir Robert Francis’ Freedom to Speak Up review, published in February 2015.

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust

baroness hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that media allegations of incompetent brain and other surgery at Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust have been investigated.

lord o'shaughnessy: Patient safety is a critical priority, and a culture that seeks out opportunities for learning and improvement is vital for making care safer for patients.NHS Improvement is in regular contact with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and has received assurances from the Trust that the allegations relating to neurological surgery are subject to independent review, either through the Royal College of Surgeons or through ongoing coroner’s cases. NHS Improvement is confident that all media allegations have been fully investigated.NHS Improvement has also taken robust steps in line with their whistleblowing policy to ensure that these matters are looked into thoroughly.

Drugs: Marketing

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions have been held between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the impact of the fee structure introduced by SecurMed, the UK’s National Medicines Verification Organisation, on small and medium-sized enterprises.

lord o'shaughnessy: There have been no specific discussions about the impact of SecurMed’s fee structure.The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are responsible for supervising SecurMed and ensuring that they are complying with the regulation in a fair and proportionate way.

Drugs: Marketing

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out an impact assessment on the effect of SecurMed’s fee structure on small and medium-sized enterprises; and if so,whether they will place a copy of that assessment in the Library of the House.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have not carried out an impact assessment on the effect of SecurMed’s fee structure on small and medium-sized enterprises. In a supervisory capacity, our aim is to ensure that SecurMed is complying with the regulation in a fair and proportionate way. In considering SecurMed’s fee structure we took account of:- the European Medicines Verification Organisation’s blue print (resulting from their assessment of different cost-allocation models);- aligning the United Kingdom’s approach with other European Union National Medicines Verification Organisations; and- seeking to ensure that the fee model is fit for purpose for the UK.

SecurMed: Operating Costs

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimatethey have made of the annual running costs of SecurMed, the UK’s National Medicines Verification Organisation.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have not made an assessment of SecurMed’s annual running costs. As part of our supervisory role, we continue to review SecurMed’s activities to ensure that they are complying with the Regulation in a fair and proportionate way and this includes scrutiny of their estimated running costs. As a not-for-profit company, if SecurMed’s income exceeds its needs, the excess will have to be returned to Marketing Authorisation Holders.

Social Services: Finance

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the NHS if additional resources for social care are not secured.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government recognises that National Health Service and social care provision are two sides of the same coin. It is not possible to have a plan for one sector without having a plan for the other. Indeed, we have been clear with the NHS that a key plank of its plan must be greater integration of the two services. We will not allow the pressure from the social care system on the NHS to increase further.We are committed to creating a sustainable system of social care in England, and that is why the Government has given councils access to up to £9.4 billion more dedicated funding for social care over the three years up to 2019-20. This funding will allow councils to support more people and sustain a diverse care market. It will also help ease pressures on the NHS, including by supporting more people to be discharged from hospital and into care as soon as they are ready.The Department commissioned a study, finalised in 2008, which explored the relationship between additional spend on care home services and expenditure relating to hospital utilisation. The results indicated that for each additional £1 spent on care homes, hospital expenditure falls by £0.35.Looking forward, it is right that social care funding is agreed alongside along the rest of the local government settlement at the forthcoming Spending Review. We will ensure that social care places no additional pressure on the NHS.

Female Genital Mutilation: Health Services

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered the continuation of funding to the specialised Female Genital Mutilation service at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

lord o'shaughnessy: The NHS North West London Collaboration of clinical commissioning groups fund the Female Genital Mutilation clinic at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and there are no plans to discontinue this service.

Department for Education

Apprentices

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the underlying causes of the reduction in apprenticeship starts; and what action they intend to take to increase the number of those undertaking apprenticeships.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is moving away from old apprenticeship frameworks, which employers said were often not equipping apprentices to do the job, towards new, higher quality apprenticeship standards being designed by employers themselves. We are making sure that apprenticeships at every level are providing high quality training. Our reforms are making apprenticeships longer, more relevant, with additional off the job training and more rigorous assessments. The 20% off the job training rule, the shift to higher quality standards with a longer average duration, and the drop off in frameworks, have already contributed to a 20% rise in expected apprenticeship training hours over the past year. Apprenticeships on the new apprenticeship standards make up 37% of overall starts, compared to 3% this time last year. We will continue to work closely with employers to help them take advantage of the reforms in order to grow their apprenticeship programmes and invest in the long-term skills needs of their businesses. We recently introduced the ability for levy-paying employers to transfer up to 10% of their funds to other employers, supporting further growth in starts. We meet regularly and frequently with business groups, giving them the opportunity to let us know what more we can do to make the reforms work better for them. The department recently published an update on the progress of Apprenticeships reform. Please find a copy attached.



HL9257_Progress_report_on_Apprenticeships_Reform
(PDF Document, 321.48 KB)

Social Services: Children

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy and efficacy of children's services in the light of the number of children being placed in child protection and being received into local authority care.

lord agnew of oulton: Ofsted assesses the effectiveness of all local authority children’s social care services departments in England through its inspection programme. Nearly two thirds of the country’s most vulnerable children are being served by local authorities where care is not yet rated as ‘Good’. The government acts quickly and decisively to intervene in local authorities found to be failing in their delivery of children’s services but we want to do more to get ahead of failure and develop a system where improvement for children’s social care is continuous and sustainable. We are investing more than £250 million through our Innovation Programme and Partners in Practice Programme to help local authorities learn from what works, and to support improvement in the sector. We want every child to be in a loving, stable home that is right for them. Whilst in most cases children are best looked after by their birth families, a child may be taken into care as a last resort, in the interests of their safety.

Ministry of Justice

Sentencing

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the use of short prison sentences for offenders who commit non-violent offences, followingthe report by the Prison Reform Trust Prison: the facts, published in 2017, which found that the use of community sentences has nearly halved since 2006, and that people serving prison sentences of fewer than 12 months have a reoffending rate that is 7 per cent higher than similar offenders serving a community sentence.

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the report by the Prison Reform Trust Prison: the facts, which found that 70per cent of sentences given to women in 2016 were for six monthsor fewer and 84per cent of women entering prison had committed a non-violent crime, they have any plans to review the passing of short sentences on women and to promote the use of community sentences and restorative justice for women who commit crime.

lord keen of elie: Protecting the public will always be our top priority. Under this government, the most serious offenders are more likely to go to prison, and for longer, helping protect the public and keep communities safe. There is persuasive evidence that short custodial sentences do not work in terms of rehabilitation and that community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending, and therefore keeping the public safe. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders (around 3 percentage points). We will therefore be looking at what more we can do to emphasise that short custodial sentences should be viewed as a last resort. We also want to ensure that the public and judiciary have confidence in non-custodial sentences, such as effective community orders, which directly tackle the causes of reoffending, including alcohol or drug abuse. On 27 June we published our strategy for female offenders, which sets out the Government’s commitment to a new programme of work for female offenders. We have committed to a pilot for residential women’s centres in at least five sites across England and Wales. The aim of the pilot will be to develop a robust evidence base about what could be effective, sustainable and scalable models for improving outcomes for female offenders and reducing the numbers and frequency of women entering and re-entering custody on short custodial sentences.

Prisoners: Older People

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the number of prisoners over the age of 70; and toensure that prisons have necessary and adequate facilities for elderly inmates.

lord keen of elie: The Government is aware of the changing demographic of the prisoner population, with the number of prisoners aged over 50 rising both in terms of numbers and as a proportion of the prison population. Within the older prisoner cohort, there were 1,665 prisoners aged 70 or over at 31 March 2018, approximately 2% of the total. In response to these changes, the Government is reviewing the provision for older prisoners and how best to meet their needs. The Government has developed Models for Operational Delivery (MODs) for each prison type and for specialist cohorts, including older prisoners to support the transformation of the adult male estate. MODs are based on data and evidence to support governors in delivering effective and efficient services according to the function and cohorts their prison will hold. This specialist MOD has been developed in recognition of the sizeable and growing proportion of older prisoners, who are more likely to suffer health problems, have higher rates of disability and can struggle to access activities and services. The MOD addresses how services and interventions may be tailored to enable all older prisoners to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing, and their independence.

Reoffenders

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have anyplans toreduce the reoffending rate of prisoners in the UK, given the cost of recidivism to the wider economy.

lord keen of elie: The Government has several plans underway to reduce the reoffending rate in the UK and the associated £15billion cost to society. Prisons must be places of rehabilitation and we have announced an extra £30million of funding to enhance safety, security and decency across the estate. On 24 May we launched the Education and Employment Strategy to create a system in which each prisoner is set on a path to employment. On 27 June we published a strategy which sets out the Government’s commitment to a new programme of work for female offenders to enable their rehabilitation. The new National Partnership Agreement (NPA) was published on 10 April 2018 confirms our commitment to work collaboratively to deliver safe, legal, decent and effective care that improves prisoners’ health and thus rehabilitation. The Cabinet Office has established a new cross-government Reducing Reoffending Board to tackle some of the main causes of reoffending including employment, health and accommodation.We are also working closely with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to support their Rough Sleeping Strategy which aims to eliminate rough sleeping by 2027.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK military action near al-Tanf, Syria, on 21 June was approved by Parliament.

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the legal justification for the presence of UK forces in Syrian territory near al-Tanf.

earl howe: The Parliamentary debate and vote of 2 December 2015 approved the involvement of UK Armed Forces in counter-Daesh operations in Syria. UK aircraft were operating in defence of our Coalition partners who had come under attack in the conduct of such operations. Our actions on 21 June were a proportionate response to the threat posed to partner forces, complied with International Humanitarian Law and there were no civilian, coalition or partner casualties.

Syria: Military Intervention

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with reference to the statement of the Combined Joint Task Force of 2 July that acknowledged responsibility for targeting a school on the outskirts of Raqqa, Syria, whether UK forces were involved in the operation.

earl howe: There were no UK aircraft involved in the strike on a school on the outskirts of Raqqah, Syria on 20 March 2017.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Audit OfficeRolling out Universal Credit, published 15 June, which states that of those transferred onto Universal Credit (1) 40 per cent are experiencing financial difficulties, (2) 25 per cent are unable to make online claims, and (3) 20 per cent are not paid in full on time; and what steps they intend to take to meet their legal obligations to those receiving in-work benefits.

baroness buscombe: The National Audit Office (NAO) report recognised that the Department’s agile approach allows it to adjust its plans based on what it learns and that some elements are working well. The report also recognised that payment timeliness has improved. We have already implemented policy changes to address many of the concerns raised in the report. (1) The DWP Claimant Survey (which the NAO Report quoted) says that nearly seven out of ten claimants said they were confident managing their payments. We are investing up to £200 million into budgeting and digital support, to help claimants with the transition to Universal Credit and work coaches work closely with claimants, ensuring they can identify any vulnerabilities or specific needs, such as financial difficulties, at an early stage. We have listened to concerns and invested £1.5 billion in a package of measures to support claimants financially in the first assessment period, and recently announced we would be introducing further protection for people who receive the Severe Disability Premium. (2) The Claimant Survey research also states that 98 per cent of claims are made online, and that nearly half of claimants had help from others or from their jobcentre adviser to do so. This shows that people get the support they need to make their claim. We knew that people would require digital support with the transition to Universal Credit, that is why, as above, we are investing up to £200 million. All jobcentres across the country have free Wi-Fi, and there are more than 8,000 computers available to support customers who need help with making their claim digitally and applying for jobs online. Work coaches will also assist anyone who needs assistance. If people cannot get online we have also a freephone helpline available. (3) Around 80 per cent of new claims are paid in full and on time. In many cases, where full payment is not made on time by the end of the first assessment period, this is as a result of unresolved issues: some claimants have not signed their Claimant Commitment or passed identity checks, others have outstanding verification issues, such as for housing and self-employed earnings. Whilst their verification is on-going, many of these claimants receive a part payment. We know that, within five weeks of the payment due date, 95% of the claims are paid in full. As the NAO report acknowledges, we have taken steps to improve the verification processes (Paragraph 2.18). For example we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs.

Personal Independence Payment

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 4 July (HL9015), what assessment, if any, they have made of (1) the relevance of ethnicity in ensuring good management of claims for Personal Independence Payments; and (2) on what basis gender is considered relevant for the collection of data and good management of claims, while ethnicity is not.

baroness buscombe: Whilst designing Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the Department considered the relevance of what data should be collected and recorded to support the good management of a PIP claim. PIP is based on needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability so ethnicity is not a factor in the decision making process in PIP. However, DWP does collect data on ethnicity from other sources, such as the Family Resources Survey, and are considering how we can better use this information, and review other activities, to give assurance that the assessment process does not disproportionately impact on BAME communities

Home Office

Immigration: Windrush Generation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering alternative measures to support those who are in immediate financial trouble as a result of the Windrush scandal.

baroness williams of trafford: The first priority for any Windrush migrants that may have experienced problems in obtaining documents confirming their immigration status is to help them secure that status. That is why the Government quickly established the Windrush Taskforce, which has a dedicated team for vulnerable people and a fast-track service for the payment of benefits, working closely in a co-ordinated manner with DWP.A compensation scheme for those of the Windrush generation that might have been affected is in the process of being established. The call for evidence for that scheme ended on 8 June and the Home Office are now preparing to launch the next stage of consultation, working with affected communities. The scheme will be set up as soon as possible after we have consulted.In the meantime the Home Office will work with organisations in the Third Sector, who have considerable experience and expertise in supporting those in financial difficulties, with a view to providing tailored advice to people in the Windrush cohort.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit: Northern Ireland

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the draft withdrawal agreement published on 28 February by the European Commission, what assessment they have made of (1) the possibility of Northern Ireland remaining subject to some EU laws after Brexit without any elected representation in the EU institutions, and (2) whether such an outcome would be consistent with British obligations under Article 3, Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as interpreted and applied in the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Matthews v UK, 1999.

lord callanan: Following our exit from the EU, the UK will no longer be a Member State and will no longer have elected representation in the EU institutions. With regard to the Northern Ireland Protocol to the draft Withdrawal Agreement, the UK has been clear, and has reaffirmed, that we are committed to turning all of the commitments in the December Joint Report into legally binding text in the Withdrawal Agreement. Negotiations are ongoing and the Government has set out our proposed approach on the customs element of the backstop, the Temporary Customs Arrangement. The Government is committed to accelerating discussions on the backstop, alongside intensifying negotiations on the future relationship. Any negotiated outcomes will need to be compatible with our international obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights.

Treasury

Non-domestic Rates

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the business rates system; and when they expect to make any resulting changes to the system of business rates in England.

lord bates: The government concluded a fundamental review of business rates at Budget 2016 and decided that business rates should remain as a property tax. Respondents to the review agreed that property based taxes were easy to collect, difficult to avoid, relatively stable compared to other taxes and had a clear link with local authority spending. They also raise revenue in a way that is less distortionary than some other taxes. There was no consensus on an alternative tax base. Following the review, the government introduced reforms and reductions worth over £10bn by 2023 to cut the burden of business rates.

Whisky: Exports

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance to industries such as the scotch whisky industry of maintaining access to the Excise Movement and Control System.

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what structures they plan to put in place to ensure that scotch whisky can continue to move to and through the EU freely after March 2019 should access to the Excise Movement and Control System not continue during any Brexit implementation period.

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they plan to provide to scotch whisky exporters to ease the impact of any increased cost burdens faced by the industry shouldaccess to the Excise Movement and Control System not continue after March 2019.

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what customs processes they plan to apply to movements of scotch whisky to and through the EU following the end of any Brexit implementation period; and whenthey expect to be in a position to announcesuch processes.

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the notice period that the scotch whisky industry would require to ensure that any requested changes to exporting processes can be made in time for both (1) the beginning, and (2) the end of any Brexit implementation period.

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the notice period that the scotch whisky industry would require to make changes to company software systems and internal procedures should movements of their products to the EU need to be treated as direct exports following the end of any Brexit implementation period.

lord bates: During the implementation period, the UK will no longer be a Member State of the European Union, but market access will continue on current terms. To give businesses and citizens certainty, common rules will remain in place until the end of the period meaning businesses will be able to trade on the same terms as now up until the end of 2020.The UK’s future relationship with the EU is subject to negotiations. The Government has published a White Paper that set out in detail the UK’s position on the future relationship. The Government hopes to see negotiations accelerate and intensify and remains confident of reaching agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement and future customs framework.The Government proposes a common approach to the relevant excise processes and procedures that apply to cross border trade in goods. This would, for example, enable businesses that move excise goods, such as alcohol products, tobacco products and oils, within the EU to do so much as they do now.In the meantime, the Government is engaging with businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, in every sector and region of the UK economy to assess the effect of EU Exit on them. This includes specific engagement in relation to scotch whisky and we continue to engage closely with the Scotch Whisky Association.The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill provides flexibility to allow HMRC to continue to use IT systems, including the Excise Movement and Control System for internal movements of excise goods in duty suspension, subject to the outcome of negotiations.

Social Services: Finance

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what considerationthey are giving to raising additional resources through taxation to meet the predicted shortfall in social care funding.

lord bates: Decisions on the funding settlement for social care will be made as part of wider local government arrangements at the spending review. Councils have access to £9.4 billion more dedicated funding for social care between 17/18 and 19/20 as a result of measures introduced since 2015. The government will also publish a Green Paper by autumn 2018, setting out its proposals to put social care on a more sustainable footing.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Advertising

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the action by the government of Italyto impose a ban on all gambling-related advertisements from June 2019; and whether they plan to implementa ban in this regardin the UK.

lord ashton of hyde: We considered advertising as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility and published our response on 17 May. The Review looked at the existing protections around gambling advertising across all media and set out a package of initiatives to strengthen them further, including tougher guidance from the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) on protecting vulnerable people and children and young people. We do not propose to bring forward legislation on gambling advertising but we will keep these issues under review. This will include examining any new evidence emerging from research and from initiatives in other countries.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Staff

lord clark of windermere: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many members of House of Lords staff are paid more than the Prime Minister.

lord mcfall of alcluith: One member of House of Lords staff, the Clerk of the Parliaments, is paid more than the Prime Minister. The Clerk of the Parliaments’ salary is linked to the Judicial Salary Group, as published each year by the Government. In 2017-18, the relevant salary group, JG4, was set at £181,566. Full details of the salaries of all House of Lords Management Board members are published in the remuneration report in each year’s Annual Report and Resource Accounts, which is available on the website: https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-lords-administration/how-the-lords-is-run/business-and-financial-information/business-plans-annual-reports-and-accounts/

College Green

lord clark of windermere: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what representations, if any, he has made to Westminster City Council about ensuring members of the House have access to the footpath across College Green.

lord mcfall of alcluith: College Green is owned by the House of Commons, with access to it controlled by Black Rod, or the Yeoman Usher acting as Black Rod’s deputy, on behalf of the House of Commons. I have not therefore made any representations to Westminster City Council about ensuring members of the House of Lords have access to the footpath across College Green.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviews the Attorney General's Office has commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

lord keen of elie: In the last year, no independent reviews have been commissioned into the policy or administration of the Attorney General’s Office.